Why your blog doesn’t have to be perfect.

Do you cringe anytime someone reads your writing out loud? Does this thought sit in the back of your mind as you are blogging? (or does it stop you from blogging at all?) Blogs can be daunting, but the benefits should outweigh any uncomfortable feelings that you have about writing. For me, speaking comes more naturally than writing. When I write I tend to use too many words trying to assure my message has been conveyed loud and clear and I feel awkward when I hear people reading my words out loud. I push past all my apprehensive thoughts because blogs are a FABULOUS business tool. They are an innovative way to promote yourself or your business and even help boost your search engine ranking. The best part is they are shareable, people are more likely to share a blog they find relatable over a website which gets your brand out to more people.

Critically for me though I keep two things in mind. 1. If I help one person with my blog, whatever the topic that is a win for me and I am amazed at the comments I get from people around the world who appreciate the insights and thoughts that I put into blogs. 2. I journal every day, there is scientific proof this helps stress and I know use blogging as a mechanism to ‘use’ my journal time effectively. Once a week I write a few blogs. It helps me!

I remember the feeling of uncertainty and doubt when I began to write my first blog. I was confident with the content and would have no apprehension speaking to a group of people on the topic, but when it came to writing I had no idea where to start. Over time I developed a system to writing which I use to guide me through each blog, I don’t use it exclusively, but I refer to it to break down a blog when I am spending too much time starting at a blank page.

Know your audience
We are all targeting a different demographic of clients so before you write anything, ensure you have a clear image of your ideal client or customer in your head and write your blog as though you are speaking to them. For me, my ideal client isn’t reading my blog for entertainment. My audience are professionals who are often time poor, they dedicate as certain amount of time each week to expand their thoughts and skills outside of a standard professional development. So as much as I could spend more time adding entertainment to my writing, I know my audience aren’t going to value it as much as the direct, hard facts.

Heading
People will decide whether to read your blog based on your heading, so if there is one area to devote your creativity to, this is it! Workshop a couple of titles both before and after writing your blog. It is important to revisit the title at the end because your blog may have taken a different direction than you initially anticipate so you want the title to fit.

Image
A lot of experts discourage the use of stock photos and I understand that you need to be unique to stand out. However, I don’t have the time or energy to source or create innovative images for every blog or post I do. I prefer to use a stock image and make it unique by adding my brand colours, logo, boarders, backgrounds and graphics. This process only takes a few minutes on an application such as Canva.

Subheading
If your title and image haven’t convinced them, this is the final chance to hook them in. Use 1-2 sentences maximum describing what they will get out of reading your blog.

Body
It is a lot easier for you to write, and a lot easier for other people to read if you write the same way as you speak. Avoid long sentences, complicated words, and break up large bodies of text with subheadings. Remember blogs are supposed to be easy to read and comprehend.

Summary
Briefly summarise the main points of the article.

Call to Action
Alternate your call to action. It doesn’t always have to be ‘booking a call’ or ‘like and share’. Use the opportunity to direct them to free resources, related articles, your website or shop.

When used correctly blogs are an engaging way promote yourself and your services. Your blogs make you relatable so prospective clients will get to know, like and trust you, making them more likely to buy from you. Regular blogging is also an effective tool to boost your search engine rankings, getting more eyeballs on your offer. Write as often as you’re inspired, write the way you speak, it makes your more relatable, put the thesaurus down and just be you!

 

Love Life, Love YOUR Life

Ferne Eliz King